In the 1948, Irish actor and musician Richard Hayward issued a 78rpm recording on Rex 15017 of a number called Nora Lee. Some claim that this song formed the origins of Aura Lea, taken to the USA from Donegal. I have been unable to locate Hayward's recording, but here is a much more recent version. Not only is the tune clearly the same, but the similarity of lyrics is also remarkable:
On a far less serious note, the American comedian Allan Sherman was never loath to take a well-known tune and to provide it with his own often irreverent lyrics. He is probably best known for his parody of Amilcare Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours entitled Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah. However, he also parodied Aura Lee and this on his 1963 album, My Son, The Celebrity as part of the medley Shticks of One and a Half a Dozen of the Other:
Brilliant!
Perhaps surprisingly, even Elvis provided us with a new set of lyrics for the tune of Aura Lea. Violet (Flower of NYU) was written by Steven Dueker and Peter Lohstroh, who seem to have disappeared without trace, and just as well, given this effort:
No, honestly, that's the whole song…